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Clark Vs Obasanjo: Ex-President Attacked Over Comment On N’Delta

Published

3 years ago

December 29, 2021

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has been lampooned for his response to a letter by a Niger Delta leader, Edwin Clark.

In a rejoinder on Tuesday, Obasanjo declared that the oil within the region belongs to the entire people of Nigeria.

On Wednesday, a South-South coalition said from paragraphs 4 to 12 of his reply, Obasanjo emphasized the constitutionality of “the forceful expropriation of Niger Delta”.

The Niger Delta Congress (NDC) chided the ex-Head of State for failing to see the absurdity in centring his arguments on legalities “conceived by members of the larger ethnic nationalities which Obasanjo belongs”.

A statement by the spokesman, Ovunda Eni, noted that in paragraph 13, Obasanjo, not only admitted Niger Delta resources was eyed by both sides during the civil war, he asked the people to be appreciative because the situation would have worsened if the Biafran side won.

Eni, a lawyer, thanked the retired General for the “revelations” which he said aren’t new to the region.

“It important for the Niger Delta people to take note that its territory and people are seen as war booty won and/or lost. This thinking continues to influence the relationship between the Niger Delta and the larger nationalities; not neighbours, not brothers, not comrades, not friends, but war booty.

“In paragraph 18, the former President made it known that he has been a champion of equity and fairness in Nigeria. And in his bid to ensure this equity, he believes that it is necessary to “suppress” ethnic nationalities, or “tribes” in his own words, so the state can emerge.

“What he failed to reveal is that suppressing “tribes” in a state is in reality nothing more than an attempt to create a state where smaller nationalities are silenced, or annihilated so their lands and resources are annexed and controlled by the larger ethnic nations who also make up the state.

“We have seen the ruthlessness with which this suppression as a strategy has been applied, most importantly with the genocide in Odi which left over 10% of the population dead in 1999; a genocide perpetrated by Nigerian troops when President Obasanjo himself was the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.

“President Obasanjo stating that he would continue to push for the suppression of “tribes” in the Nigerian state until he “breathes” his “last”, is Obasanjo pledging allegiance to a genocidal ideology. Such audacity can only come when a man has successfully carried out a massacre.

“This does not only show the failure of the Nigerian state he swears by, but also shows the complicity of the international community he hobnobs with and whose interests in the Niger Delta he has served. This also shows the failure of the Niger Delta leadership to stand by and for our people.

“In subsequent paragraphs, the former President went back in time to cite colonialism and its legal constructs in different ways to derive legitimacy for the injustice that has been the relationship between the Niger Delta and what is currently known as Nigeria right from as early as the colonial era.

“As interesting as this attempt to gaslight the Niger Delta is, what is poignant for the NDC is the subtlety in insinuating that what we currently have operable in Nigeria is an extension of colonialism with the larger groups as the new colonial masters. We choose to not be colonised by any group.

“Most important to the NDC are paragraphs 20 and 21 wherein Obasanjo revealed moves he and some other collaborators from within and outside the Niger Delta are making to once again shortchange the people as has been done within the Nigerian context since 1960, and which he has played an integral part of from the civil war till date.”

Eni said the former leader spelt out the work being done by the Committee for Goodness of Nigeria (CNG) – which he is a part – where Niger Delta representatives are proposing an 18% derivation in CNG recommendations “to those who can take action” ahead of a new constitution before the 2023 elections.

NDC condemned the “insulting” proposition, insisting that agitations have revolved around economic and political autonomy (resource control), contained in the different declarations and charters that have emanated since the 1965 Rumuomasi declaration.

The body recalled that at the South-South Hearing on 1999 Constitution review in Port Harcourt on 27th May 2021, the NDC presented recommendations to the Senate Committee led by Senator Betty Apiafi where 50% resource control or derivation was demanded.

The statement reminded the public that the NDC has been collating signatures of ethnic nationalities’ representatives for the Niger Delta Peoples Charter which asserts the right of the region to control their resources and determine their socio-political future.

Eni vowed that the people will resist any move to foist any constitution that does not take cognizance of the demands of the people as captured in the charter adopted on 8th October 2021 at the Niger Delta Peoples Conference in Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa.

Headline

Netanyahu Says Israel’s Strikes On Iran Have ‘Clear Support’ Of Trump

Published

11 hours ago

June 14, 2025

Editor

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that Israel’s air strikes on Iran had the “clear support” of US President Donald Trump.

“Our enemy is your enemy… We’re dealing with something that will threaten all of us sooner or later. Our victory will be your victory,” Netanyahu said in a video statement addressed to Trump on the US leader’s birthday.

“This is what Israel is doing with the support, the clear support of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, and the American people and many others in the world.”

Headline

US Lawmaker Shot Dead, Another Wounded In Targeted Attack

Published

11 hours ago

June 14, 2025

Editor

A gunman shot two Democratic state lawmakers in Minnesota early Saturday, killing one and her husband and wounding the other, in what the northern US state’s governor said were politically motivated attacks.

The shootings came at a moment of deep political divisions in the United States, as thousands took to the streets in protest at the policies of Republican President Donald Trump.

The suspected assailant was still at large, officials said, with a massive manhunt underway.

Trump and US Attorney General Pam Bondi decried what they called “horrific violence” and said the perpetrators would be prosecuted to “the fullest extent of the law.”

State representative Melissa Hortman — the former speaker — and her husband Mark were killed at their home near Minneapolis, Governor Tim Walz told a press conference.

State senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were shot and wounded, the governor said, his voice breaking with emotion. He said officials remained “cautiously optimistic” they would recover.

“This was an act of targeted political violence,” Walz told reporters.

“Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don’t settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint.”

Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said Hoffman and his wife were shot first, and as police investigated, Hortman and her husband were shot about 90 minutes later.

The suspected gunman was able to escape during an exchange of gunfire with officers near Hortman’s residence, Evans told reporters.

“We’re actively searching for that individual right now,” he said.

– Impersonating law enforcement –

In both cases, authorities believe the assailant was impersonating a law enforcement officer.

“The suspect exploited the trust that our uniform is meant to represent,” said Bob Jacobson, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

An anti-Trump rally in Minneapolis — part of the national wave of “No Kings” protests planned for Saturday — was canceled after police issued a shelter-in-place order because of the shootings.

Flyers for the protests were found in the suspect’s car, as well as a manifesto that named numerous politicians and state officials, police said.

Police are looking for a white man with brown hair, wearing black body armor over a blue shirt and blue pants, local TV station KSTP said.

“We do have the suspect’s car. Suspect is on foot,” said Mark Bruley, the police chief in Brooklyn Park, where Hortman lived.

The United States has been deeply divided since Trump returned to the White House in January.

The Republican president has drawn criticism from Democrats over his harsh deportation policy, his assault on universities and the media and a perceived flouting of limits on executive power as he pushes his agenda.

“At this precipice moment we’re on, this tragic act here in Minnesota should serve as a reminder to all of us,” Walz said.

“The democracy and the debates in the halls of Congress, in state houses, in school boards, is a way to settle our differences peacefully and move society to a better place.”

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar remembered Hortman as a friend who entered politics at the same time as her and dedicated her life to serving the state, working on issues such as women’s rights and clean energy.

“Let me be absolutely clear: this was an act of targeted political violence, and it was an attack on everything we stand for as a democracy,” Klobuchar said in a statement. “We must all condemn it.”

Minnesota’s other US senator, Tina Smith, also issued a statement condemning the shootings.

Former House member Gabby Giffords, who survived a shooting to the head in 2011 and is now a prominent advocate for the prevention of gun violence, described herself as “devastated” by the death of Hortman.

“We must protect our democracy from those who try to destroy it with a gun,” Giffords wrote on X.

Headline

Diplomat, Wife Injured In Iran Strikes On Tel Aviv

Published

12 hours ago

June 14, 2025

Editor

Croatia’s consul in Israel and his wife were lightly injured in Iran’s missile strikes on Tel Aviv, Croatia’s Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman said on Saturday.

“I am shaken by the news that our consul and his wife were injured in the attack on Tel Aviv. The building they live in was hit,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.

“I spoke with them and, fortunately, their injuries are minor and they are not in any life-threatening condition.”

Grlic Radman added that his ministry was in constant contact with the Croatian embassy in Israel and was taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of its staff.

“We strongly condemn attacks on civilians and diplomatic facilities. We call for immediate de-escalation and restraint,” Grlic Radman said.

Israel on Friday launched an unprecedented attack on Iran, hitting scores of targets across the country, including nuclear and military sites and residential buildings.

Iran said 78 people were killed and 320 wounded in the first wave of Israeli strikes.

Iran retaliated with barrages of drones and missiles at Israel, killing three people and wounding dozens.

AFP